B-29 FIFI for Gary

[corsairboss]

I shot these photos while visiting my Uncle in Grand Island, Neb. I want to say mid 1990's. I have been going thru alot of old photos, wish I would have had the camera I have now that I bought from D. Fisher.

Have Fun...

[Second Air Force]

Corsairboss, that pair of pictures fascinates me on a couple of levels.

I've spent many hours researching and exploring the Grand Island Army Air Field, and that first photo is very important to me from a historical viewpoint. The hangar behind FIFI was T-115, built during the airfield's second phase of construction. The hangar was designed to accomodate the new Very Heavy Bomber, the B-29, and there is a very good chance that FIFI actually spent time in that building. FIFI was assigned to Grand Island as a training aircraft from October of '45 until sent to Pyote for storage in December of '46. I've been looking for a 1940s picture of her at Grand Island or Salina for a long time, but this is almost as good.

Unfortunately, T-115 was lost in a fire on 14 May, 2002, started by sparks from construction on a new door.

A small portion of Hangar T-113 can be seen to the left of T-115. T-113 is still in use, and is the last of four hangars built at Grand Island during the War. The original Grand Island Municipal Airport hangar is also still in good repair.

Thanks for posting a photo that ties up some loose ends for my research!
Scott

[retroaviation]

Thanks for posting those pictures, corsairboss. Neat stuff.

That's sad about that hangar, Scott. Sucks to see such history get burned down.

Gary

[Second Air Force]

Yes, having that hangar burn did stink, but what sucks even more is that three more just like it are going to be torn down because the towns running their respective airports no longer have a use for them. The two north hangars at Great Bend and the last Squadron hangar at Pratt are all going to be razed because there is no one with the means to save them. Great Bend had a wind storm a couple of years ago that damaged the roofs on their hangars, and the one at Pratt is dying of neglect. The "Battle of Kansas" was fought at these airfields, but few people seem to care to save these historic structures.

Here are the north three hangars at Great Bend in late '45. The hangar on the far right was the original hangar constructed in early '42. It is currently in use by the FBO on the field. The other two are to be destroyed.


This photo is of the two north hangars, taken in August of 2006. This will soon be "valuable real estate".



This photo of parading 40th Bomb Group personnel shows T-304 nearest the camera and T-307 in the background. T-307 burned down a number of years ago, leaving T-304 as the last Squadron hangar on the field.


I took this photo of T-304 in March of 2006. Liability issues and a lack of funds will see this hangar disappear in the near future as well. No one wants a wooden hangar and the upkeep costs that go with it.


I'm crawling off my soapbox now. Sorry I hijacked your thread just so I could vent, corsairboss.
Scott

[RickH]

Oh, to have access to a hangar like that in the Houston area. The WWII hangars at Ellington disappeared long ago.

[Second Air Force]

Rick,

I agree, there are so many places that we could use those hangars, but the way they were built just makes it nearly impossible even if the funds were available. There are MANY yards of concrete in the buttresses and floor, and to disassemble and ship the roof trusses would be an enormous undertaking. I'm glad someone is at least interested in them, even if we'll soon be able to visit them only on film.

Scott

[APG85]

Beautiful hangars. Theres something about the arched roof... It's a shame they can't be saved. Theres quite a few in that style on Air Force bases...

[K5DH]

I assume those vintage hangars are going to be torn down to make way for new development? If that's the case, perhaps they could be donated to a museum. It would take someone with deeeeeeeep pockets to finance the disassembly, transport, and erection at the new location, but it's possible. VFM's main hangar at FTW is a genuine WW2 USAAF hangar which came from (I believe) Pyote Army Air Field in West Texas. It was a B-29 maintenance hangar at Pyote, and could accommodate two of them. Having a WW2 hangar to house our WW2-themed museum really adds to the experience, in my humble-ish opinion.

If I'm wrong about the hangar's origins, someone please correct me. I'm a big boy and I can handle criticism (Lord knows I get plenty of it).

Cheers!

[Second Air Force]

Dean,

If VFM has a hangar from Pyote, it would have to be the Sub-Depot as it was the only one large enough for two B-29s. I knew that the Pyote Sub-Depot was dismantled some years ago, but had no idea where the materials went. Only the two sidewalls stand today. Here is a shot of Pyote taken after the war, the hangar we're referring to is the one directly behind the #2 engine on aircraft 540.



To my knowledge, all three in Kansas are being razed because there isn't any money to repair or maintain them, and (supposedly) no one would insure any aircraft stored in them if they were used. These huge wooden structures are like a giant piano when you study the workmanship, but the cost to keep roofs on them is just prohibitive. I'll have some more information on this situation later, as it is the one area of the warbird field I really know anything about.

As far as the redevelopment at GBD and PTT, I think the Airport Authorities just want to be rid of the liability, both legal and fiscal. There is plenty of available real estate if anyone wanted it that wouldn't require the removal of these historic buildings. I think we're a few years too late to make good things happen, but we'll see.

Thanks for the interest from all of you, I thought there were just a couple of us that cared about the training airfields.
Scott

[Ztex]

VFM's main hangar at FTW is a genuine WW2 USAAF hangar which came from (I believe) Pyote Army Air Field in West Texas.

I heard it was a B-29 hanger but I never heard that is was moved from Pyote...interesting...

[K5DH]

the hangar we're referring to is the one directly behind the #2 engine on aircraft 540.

Hi Scott,

The hangar in your photo sure seems to be the right shape and size. Take a look at this shot of our main hangar:



Whaddya think? Like I said in my original post, I'm not certain about the hangar's origins, but I've been told by several Museum members at various times that the hangar came from Pyote. Of course, they could all be repeating the same rumour. You know that after being repeated enough times, rumours become facts!

Cheers!

[RickH]

That hangar had been there a long time prior to 1984. I had also heard that it was a B-29 hangar but don't know if it was moved there. The concrete work sure looks really old.

[Ztex]

I know that hanger was there and old in 75...

[K5DH]

I know that hanger was there and old in 75...

Hmm... if that's the case, then the stories I've been told may not be true. As I said before, rumours that are told over and over eventually become accepted as facts. I tend to believe things that seem plausible and are told to me in the same way by multiple people at separate times. Obviously, that doesn't make them true! Next time I'm at the Museum, I'll ask Doc for the real story.

Dean the ever-inquisitive (and frequently wrong)

[Second Air Force]

The Sub-Depot at Pyote was dismantled in the last twenty or so years, so I'd guess the one at FTW may have come from Fort Worth AAF, or was it always at Meacham? Dean, check if the roof trusses are steel or wood the next time you're in there, that will tell us something about it's origins. I'll have to put my thinking cap on when I get home and see what I can discover.

Scott